Days after reports arrived Paris Olympics gold medalist Arshad Nadeem's father-in-law Muhammad Nawaz that he would be gifting Nadeem a buffalo for making the country proud, India's silver medalist in javelin throw event revealed unique gifts he received.
Making the environment a little light, the Tokyo Olympics 2000 gold winner Neeraj Chopra said at a media interaction facilitated by JSW Sports, "I was once gifted desi ghee. Back home in Haryana, it's common to receive such gifts – sometimes 10 or even 50 kg of desi ghee, or ladoos."
Neeraj also explained that the special gifts come from promises people make.
“'If Neeraj wins this competition, I'll give him 50 kg of ghee.' I've heard such things since childhood, especially in regions where sports like kabaddi and wrestling are popular. Ghee is believed to boost strength, which is crucial for our sports. In our region, athletes also receive gifts like Bullet motorbikes, tractors, or even buffalos,” Neeraj said.
Earlier, The Dawn reported that Pakistan's Nadeem would get a grand amount of more than PKR 150 million (more than ₹4.5 crore and $538,000). Also, the Chief Minister of the Pakistan state of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz, has announced a reward of PKR 100 million for Nadeem.
However, Nadeem expressed his surprise when he was asked regarding the gift from his father-in-law by Pakistan's ARY News. He said he came to know about this when his wife told him.
Adding more, Nadeem jokingly said that he thought his father-in-law should have given him 5-6 acres of land, but 'buffalo' and started laughing.
In the Paris Olympics 2024, Pakistan Nadeem won a gold medal in the javelin throw, after sending the javelin to a whopping 92.97 metres distance.
Not only he created a world record, but also defeated India's Neeraj Chopra to become world's best javelin thrower. Neeraj won the silver medal in the same event.
With agency inputs.
